'Esports World Cup: Level Up' Review: An Insight Into the World of Esports

Romey Norton
6 days ago
4 min read

By Romey Norton - July 4, 2025

TV

What is 'Esports World Cup: Level Up' about?

Esports World Cup: Level Up is a high-energy, high-stakes, five-part docuseries on Prime Video that takes a look at the world of competitive gaming’s newest mega-event: the Esports World Cup. Set in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, this inaugural tournament brings together over 1,500 of the world’s top players and teams, competing across more than 20 game titles for a staggering 60 million dollar prize pool. It’s an obscene amount of money to play with, but that just makes it all the more exciting.

Directed with style and insight, Level Up blends the adrenaline of high-stakes matches with the personal stories that make each victory (or defeat) feel like a career-defining moment. Viewers are introduced to many personalities, from the rising stars with everything to prove, veteran pros managing pressure, to the coaches and club owners navigating the politics of a rapidly evolving industry.

Episode one takes the time to explain to viewers what esports is, the life-changing money involved, the pressure, and how everything is on the line. You don’t have to be an expert to watch and understand this series. It introduces you to the different teams, how you get into one of these teams and what goes on behind the scenes. Every episode also does well in explaining the game being played and how the teams can win. Games include Call of Duty, Rennsport, FIFA, Starcraft II, League of Legends, and many more.

In every episode, there’s a thoughtful mix of gameplay footage, interviews, and cinematic visuals that give context to the significance of the tournament and showcase the passion, commitment, and community that drive the esports world forward. It is exciting to see the gameplay and the live audience's responses. It’s like WWE but with gamers. It takes me back to watching Robot Wars when I was a kid, and I loved that nostalgic feeling.

The interviews with players are in their comfort zones, so no informal stages, which allows for more intimacy. We hear and see their families and friends, which heightens the importance of these games, especially the prize money. They don’t hold back - some game players have come from very working-class backgrounds and have been in prison. What I did want was some involvement from audiences; the people paying to watch Esports live. Why they love it, who their favourite teams are etc. Having this dynamic would have given viewers something to relate and inspire to.

Episode three starts in Ukraine and mentions the conflict and how this affects their lives, their gaming, and the pressure to win. Beyond the player stories, the series subtly explores the broader implications of Saudi Arabia’s push into global entertainment through esports. While it doesn't overtly editorialize, the presence of the tournament in Riyadh and the scale of the event raise important questions about the intersection of sport, business, and international soft power.

The series also looks into why there aren’t more female players in Esports. There’s one all-female team who are undefeated, and we hear about the pressures they feel for social and economic reasons. This team should inspire more females to join this male-dominated industry.

It also touches on how many players come from poor, working-class backgrounds, which is very interesting and I wish more in-depth analysis had been done on this. Some viewers may also wish for a deeper critical dive into the business side of esports or more behind-the-scenes drama. Level Up serves more as an introduction and a celebration of a landmark moment in competitive gaming rather than a deep dive investigation. This just gives Prime more reason to make another series.

The end of the series was exhilarating, and I was so happy for the winning teams, the fans and everyone working hard behind the scenes. There’s one young man in ‘Team Liquid’ who just annihilates his opponent and is so sweet after doing so. It’s safe to say the world of Esports is hot, hectic and here for the future.

Is 'Esports World Cup: Level Up' worth watching?

For fans of competitive gaming, Esports World Cup: Level Up is a no-brainer. It captures the intensity and ambition of the Esports scene without feeling inaccessible to casual viewers. It’s expensive to buy a PC, expensive to buy the setup, and it takes skill to play these games, so this series allows you to have this world without the cost.

Each episode is roughly 40 to 50 minutes, making this a great binge-watch. Viewers will be hooked from the first episode and will need to know what happens next. The pace is great; it’s fast enough to match the tempo of the games it covers, but deliberate enough to let emotional beats land. It’s definitely made me want to play online games more - time to dust off the old Xbox and N64.

'Esports World Cup: Level Up' is streaming now on Prime Video

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